


A Little Understanding

by accioepiphany



Category: Matthias & Maxime (2019)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, I dont even know what this is... I just wanted an after scene Xavier Dolan would approve, M/M, the immediate minutes after the end of the film
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26263225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/accioepiphany/pseuds/accioepiphany
Summary: Max opens the door and Matt is there, staring at him. As much as he would love to run straight to him, his most recent phone call lingers on his mind threatening to make a different choice.
Relationships: Matthias Ruiz/Maxime Leduc
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	A Little Understanding

He opens the door and Matt is there, smiling in that sheepish way he always does when he fucks up. Max returns the smile, despite his best instincts of playing it cool. Opposite Matt is Frank raising an eyebrow at him, one feet in the car, one out. Max swallows and walks towards Matt. The initial excitement is subdued, which gives him space to think about what he needs from this interaction: an explanation. He bites the smile that fights to come out as soon as he gets closer to Matt, and to his hands in his pockets and his nervous swing.

“You’re all ready to go”

Max turns to Frank who is now full out of the car, arms crossed. Then back to Matt.

“My flight is in two hours”

“Is it too late to ask for that weekend you offered?”

Max looks straight at him, Matt is holding his gaze but his posture is contrived, hiding, defensive. But he doesn’t get to do this, he doesn’t get to ask him to turn everything around, for what? For him? 

“I called your father’s office”

Matt frowns at this, taken aback. He retreats and Max knows this was exactly what he wanted after his words left his mouth, a safe space to fly away.

“Why?”

“Why? Why, Matt? Because I’ve been begging you for a recommendation letter for the past month? Because I had to ask your mom about it? Because you knew how important this was for me and turns out you had it for three weeks and didn’t mention anything?”

He is fighting back tears. He has always carried his emotions on his skin, raw, vulnerable, the worse at conflict, and more than once the first to break. Matt knows this, but pretends he doesn’t.

“I- I forgot...”

Max feels his eyes water so he looks at the floor and turns around. A hand holds his before he can move. He turns around and the hand is still holding his.

“I don’t understand it myself”

Max stares at their hands touching. Matt’s are making small circles around his still healing knuckles, he has always been softer than he gives himself credit for. Max is frozen at the spot, until Frank honks his car. They let go of their hands and share a look, two bare souls in front of each other. Matt’s fear speaks miles and recognition hits Max, inside of him something tugs and breaks and he seems divided between what he needs and what he yearns.

“I have to go, Matt. I can’t stay here, tied to my mother” he whispers. 

Matt nods and rubs a hand over his hair, the impossibility of their desires catching up.

“Can I drive you to the airport?”

“No”

Matt nods and his hands seem to sink deeper than possible inside his pockets. He looks so small like this. Max goes back to when they were eight and Matt had just broken his mom’s favorite vase, his eyes to the floor, his body shrunk.

“If you go with me I would never leave”

Matt looks up at this.

There’s a moment in which Matt stands straight and looks decisively at Max.

“I’ll send you the letter today”

Max gives him a polite smile, the same disappointment from before tugging tightly at his chest. Then Matt gets closer and hugs him hard, impulsive and raw, normal for an outsider but deeply intimate for both, pressed together as if no air was to ever be allowed between them. Matt’s hands wander, make soft caresses and press tightly. His breath on his neck, his whispers over his earlobe, “See you at Christmas”.

Max steps away and frowns, Matt gives him a funny smile, Max raises an eyebrow.

“I’ve always wanted to experience Christmas in summer” 

Matt gives him a big smile and steps away, walking back to his car while Max remains there, frozen. Matt’s hands still lingering on his back, his words repeating on a loop inside his head. 

When Matt is out of sight Max goes back to Frank who rolls his eyes at him and says he is lucky he can speed up in a responsible way. Max doesn’t hear anything. He carries a stupid smile that lingers until he settles inside the plane and way after, when a simple promise is sealed by the email he gets as soon as he lands in Australia.


End file.
